Cleaning apparatus.



F. H. UGILVIE.

CLEANING APPARATUS;

APPLICATION FILED APR.v28| 1914.

Patented-June 1, 1915.

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A TTOR/VEY FREDERICK H. OGILVIE, OF JERSEY CITY, NEWJJERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0WISN-ER'MANU- JEACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW Y0, 1\T., Y., A CORJPOBA'TIDNOF NEW YORK- cnnanme APPARATUS.

mamas.-

' Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certainnew and usefulImprove ments in Cleaning'Apparatus, of which the following-is aspecification. 1

My invention relates to cleaning apparatus; and particularlytoapparatusof the kind mentioned,-- for milk cans and other storage vessels whichhave to be especially treated after they have been-emptied of their 1contents, to be further use.

The primary object of my invention is to provide. a construction whichis formed to engage milk cans and the like, in such a manner thatthey'will be retained for a definite period of time; whereby suchvessels cannot be withdrawn until the a paratus hasthoroughly effectedand comp eted the cleaning operation. To this end I make my put insanitary condition for apparatus of such size as to accommodate a whichit can 'be freely removed, allthe steps v broken. away at one sidetoexpose the in-- number of vessels; which are started atone end of theapparatus and removed at the other; after being cleaned and dried atintermediate points.

My invention also includes means at one end which will prevent thewithdrawal of a milk can, or similar'vessel, after ithas once beenstarted, until it hasp'assed successively through the difi'erentpositions which it must take in order to. be treated as required; -andby the time it reaches the other end, at

in the operation of cleaning the vessel have been. performed, and thedesired result has been achieved. A i

Further objects and advantages'of my invention will a pear from thefollowing specification ta en in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the same characters of reference indicating the samev parts onall the views. f t Unsaid drawings Figure 1 is aside elevation of myapparatus, showing the same terior; Fig. 2 is a top plan of the same;and

Fig. 3 is-a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 ofFi .1. r

[In the particular description of the draw ings, I emi oy the numeral 1to indicate the: 'or body of my apparatusvvl imighf a Q frame war ismountedupon legs or standards Specification of. Letters llatent.

Application filed April 2%, 1514. Serial No. 834,911.

the end last mentioned. the bars tatentedllnne a, rate.

frame work as well as the legs. 2 are preferably constituted of lengthsof angle bars riveted togethen; and the legs 2 are connected by crossbeams at the bottom, forming feet; and braced by barsjoin'ing the 1e 5to the framework 1, in any suitable way. his frame work I'carriesatrough 3 which has closed ends 4, but is substantially open at the Itop; and in the top is a support upon which the milk cans or other.vessels are placed, when it is desired to clean the same. "The supportmentioned comprises a plate 5, which is of less length than the framework "1; and is mounted upon cross bars 6, se-

pured to the sides of the frame work 1; the plate being fastened tothese cross bars in any suitable fashion. Fromthe ends of the plate tothe ends of the frame work 1' ex-' tend longitudinal bars 7, which arespaced from one another and form a continuation of the support in thetop of the trough, of

which the plate 5'is a, part. [This plate 5 has an opening 8 and twoopenings 9 through it, and below, these. openings are nozzles 10. Thenozzle 10 in line with the opening 8 delivers water and the other twonozzles are connected to asource of steam supply. The plate 5 is longenough to ac-- commodate three milkcans orthe like at one Fig. 2, myapparatus is long enough to ac commodate three milk cans on the plate 5,

another can on the bars 7. at the left of this plate and two more milkcans on the bars 7 at the other endof the'-'frnme work 1. At

framework 1, or the sides of thetrough 3,

at Qtheir' ends. The bars 7 along the sides of this coil are long enoughto accommodate two milk cans after the latter have passed 0d the plate5, and as there is no obstruction abovethe coil. 11, heated air willnaturally risefi'rito the cans and dry the s v ame,

pipe which eupplies l. may exheating coil leads through one end of thetrough 3; and the other end of the coil is connected to the nozzles 10,below the. holes indicated at 9; also the water pipe, which suppliesliquid to the nozzle 10 below the aperture 8, enters through the sameend of the trough; and this pipe, shown at 13, as

well as the pipe leading from the steam coil,"

maybe secured in any suitable fashion in tln trough, 3.

The nozzles 10 are each provided with valves inside the same, and havingexternal projecting stems 14. These valves normally close the nozzles,and may be kept shut by suitable springs; and each stem 14 is en gagedby a bell crank lever 15, pivotally mounted in any suitable fashionadjacent to the stem 14:. One arm of each of these levers will extendthrough the plate 5, which will be recessed to the extent required; andthe edges of the arms above the plate may be beveled. As a result whenthe milk cans are moved along the plate the rims of the mouths thereofwill -engage the upper arms of these bell cranks and force themdownward. The bell cranks will thus force the stems 14: to open thevalves and the nozzles andallow these nozzles to discharge into thecans. The nozzle 10 below the aperture 8 has a drain cock. with handle17; and the two steam nozzles 10 are connected together by a shortlength of drain pipe which has a drain cock 18. The trough 3 may beprovided at any convenient point with a drain cock- 19.

Between any two of the bars 7 at the end opposite that carrying thesteam coil 11, I secure a one way movable stop 20 which is mounted in aU-shaped strap 22 secured to the bars 7 and extending below them. Thisstop is in the form of a lever or pawl; and

its spindle 21 may carry a sprin which normally holds one end of thispawl down against the strap 22' and the other end above the level of theplate 5. I also arrange along the sidesof'the plate 5 retaining flanges24; utilizing angle irons of sufiicient length for this purpose; and theretaining flanges are placed far enough apart to allow along the frontedge .of the frame work 1 which is large enough to permit a milk can tobe withdrawn therethrough; and a, curved rail or bar 25, forming aguide, may be secured to the --rear and adjacent end of the frame work 1to direct the cans by turns oil' the support through this space, andover the front edge of the frame work 1. The back flange will run thefull length of the frame 1 to prevent a can at the left being pushedover the rear edge.

The utility and'mode of operation of my apparatus will now be pointedout.

Fig. 2 illustrates, by means of broken circles, the position of the milkcans on the support carried by the frame work 1 in the top of the trough3, and it will be apparent that my apparatus can accommodate one half adozen cans, all of which are placed bottom upward on the supportcomprising the plate 5 and bars 7 at once. Three cans will be on theplate 5 in position to be sprayed out by the nozzles 10; two will restupon the bars 7 over the heating coil; and another will be carried uponthe bars 7 adjacentthe stop 20, in readiness to be moved on the plate 5when the line of cans is moved up, after one is taken off around theopposite end of the front flange 24:.

In Fig. 3 I illustrate in broken lines the shape of a milk can at themouth thereof,

and it will be seen that these cans are re.- ceived between the flanges24 and retained upon the support until they reach the heating coil 11.When a can is placed upon the bars 7 at the forward edge of the plate 5,the stop 20 allows it to be moved upon the plate over the aperture 8;but after it has passed the stop, it cannot be taken off the apparatusuntil it has traversed the row of nozzles and passed off the aperturedplate 5. Of course, as each can comes over each aperture, it pressesdown the upper arm of the bell crank associated therewith, and causesthe nozzle below the aperture to deliver fluid to its interior. Each canis thus first sprayed with water and then twice with steam. It is nextdried by the coil 11 and guided off the apparatus by the rail 25, whenthe attendant moves it ahead to make room for the cans behind it. Asingle attendant can operate my apparatus and it will be apparent thathe cannot keep the cans moving across the support in the top of thetrough too fast for the operation of cleaning to be thoroughlyperformed. As he takes one off at the right of the apparatus, he mustthen move the remaining five forward far enough to make room for anotherat the left; and the removal and replacement of the cans, one at a time,in this way, Will insure each can remaining in position to be sprayedfirst with water and then twicewith steam, the required interval in eachinstance; and the same will be true of the space of time during whicheach can will remain on the bars 7 above the heating coil 11 to bedried.

The position'and length of therail 25 of cans, such as two, rest uponthe section of the supporting frame work 1 above which the rail islocated; that is, directly above the coil 11; the next three cans, whenpushed up close behind the first two, will in every case be directlyover the nozzles 10. The

rail 25 therefore serves not only to cause the cans to pass over thefront edge of the apparatus at the delivery end of the same,

but also as a device for gaging the proper positions of the cans on theplate 5. In

other words, so long as'the first can about to come off rests upon theframe work approximately as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, and theother four are as close to the first as possible, the third, fourth andfifth cans will necessarily-be in place to be sprayed by the nozzles,and the attendant will not have to look to see whether the- Theoperation of my apparatus will there-- fore, be substantially continuousand a large number of cans can be cleaned with a minimum expenditure oftime and labor. practice of my invention a skilled dairy man will haveno difficulty in keeping the cans moving through the apparatus withoutlagging in his work and at the same time without pushing them throughtoo rapidly to clean them as thoroughly as the strictestmunicipalregulations may specify.

From the above description it will be seen that l have produced anadvantageous, yet simple construction, to serve my purpose. I do notwish to be limited to the exact structural details herein set forth asthe same may be varied within wide limits and I, therefore, reserve theright to make such changes in the shape, size and arrangement of theparts as fairly fall within the scope and spirit of my invention. Havingdescribed my invention, what ll believe to be new, andv desire to secureand protect by Letters Patent of the United States is l. The combinationor means for supporting thereon a plurality of inverted storage vesselshaving mouths with outward extending rims, retaining means extendingalong the supporting means to engage the rims of the mouths of saidvessels on opposite sides of the same, whereby said vessels cannot bedisplaced from the supporting means except by movement along the latter,and one or more devices for delivering- In thecleaning agent to thevessels as they are moved along the supporting means.

2. The combination of means for supporting thereon a plurality ofinverted storage vessels having months with outward extending rims, aone-way movable stop at one end of said means, retaining means extendingaway from said stop along the supporting means to engage the rims of themouths of .said vessels on opposite sides of the same,

whereb said vessels cannot be displaced from the supporting means exceptby movement along the supporting means, and one I or more devices fordelivering cleaning agent to the vessels as they are moved along thesupporting means.

3. The combinationof means for supporting thereon a plurality ofinverted storage vessels having mouths with outward extending rims,angle-iron retainers extending along the supporting means to engage therims of the mouths of the said storage vessels on opposite sides of thesauna-whereby said vessels cannot be displaced from the supporting meansexcept by movement along the latter, and one or more devices fordelivering cleaning agent to the vessels as they are moved along thesupporting means.

4. The combination of means for supporting thereon a plurality ofinverted storage vessels having mouths with outward extending rims, aone-way movable stop at one end of said means, angle iron retainersextending away from the stop along the supporting means to engage therims of the mouths "of the vessels on opposite sides thereof,

whereby said vessels cannot be displaced fromthe supporting means exceptby movement along the latter, and one or more devices for deliveringcleaning agent to the vessels as they are moved along the supportingmeans.

5. The combination of means for support ing thereonaplurality of storagevessels, a U-shaped strap transversely. mounted on said means andcarried below the same, a pivot carried by upper part of said strap, astop movably" mounted on the pivot and extending above the level of thesupporting means, and resilient means for holding the lower end of thestop against the bottom of the strap.

6. The combination of means for supporting thereon a plurality ofinverted storage vessels having months with outward extending rims,retaining means extending along said means to engage the rims of saidmonths on opposite sides thereof, whereby said vessels cannot bedisplaced from the supporting means except by movement along the latter,one or more devices for delivering cleaning agent to saidvessels as theyare moved along the supporting means, and a rail carried by thesupporting means beyond said the distances between of said means, adrying coil at the other end of said means, a plurality of devices fordelivering cleaning agent to said vessel located between said stop andsaid coil, retaining means extending along the supporting.

means ad] acent said devices to engage the runs of said mouths onopposite sides of the same, whereby the vessels. cannot be dis-' placedfrom the supporting means except by movement over said devices, and arail carried by the supporting means above said coil, the devices beingspaced apart according to the size of said vessels, and the sec- ,tionof said supporting means adjacent said rail and coil being of sufiicientextent to accommodate an integral number of said vessels, whereby therail may serve to gage the correct positions of said vessels withrespect to said devices.

Signed at New York in the countyof New York and State of New York this6th day of April A. D. 1914.

FREDERICK H. OGILVIE.

Witnesses: v

WM. F. NICKEL, C. W. Bmnnnny.

